Stephen Briars Email & Phone Number

United Kingdom

London, England, Gb

• Re-establish the brand and creative values for this traditionally prestigious luxury lifestyle design retail brand with forty-seven years of trading history. Recruited to develop and deliver strategic opportunities for both physical and digital commerce. Brand marketing and architecture is central to the role. Reporting directly to the CEO.• Based in head office, the position oversees the creative and experiential strategy for retail and ecommerce, press and marketing, concessions and franchise, and brand licences and contracts within the iconic ‘The Conran Shop’ brand and is responsible for all customer-facing visual communications.• The role takes command of ongoing creative direction, brand awareness, store design, interiors, layouts, and visual storytelling from product presentation, to brand signage, and ticketing. Closely allied to this is the design, brand expression, layout, photography, and merchandising of the brands growing ecommerce site and associated social media channels.• Head Office and directly responsible retail and online team total 30+ employees, whilst maintaining influence over the total brand as the Creative Director. Direct reports include Head of Global Visual Merchandising, Head of Display, Head of Graphics, Packaging designer. Head of Press & Marketing.• 2019 saw the opening of a new concession space in Galeries Lafayette Paris, the design and delivery of an expanded 4000sqft store in Selfridges London, and the opening of a new 25,000sqft store in Seoul Korea in November 2019. 2020 sees new openings in Japan.

Philadelpia, Pa, Us

• Spearheaded transformation of under-performing creative team across both retail and ecommerce departments. Recruited to restructure team set-up and strategy to deliver value-for-money solutions to an aging store network. Reported directly to Managing Director to strengthen the brand concept.• The role oversaw rebranding, new display strategies, and upgrade visual merchandising within all existing stores. Responsible for store design approval, fixture packages, display and visual merchandising for thirty new standalone stores and new concessions within Europe and Asia. Implemented seasonal floor-sets and assets within budget over six years to date. A 100% record of meeting deadlines.• Head office and directly responsible store teams total 120 employees. Retail division comprises four key direct reports – newly initiated Multimedia Creative Director, Display Manager, Visual Merchandising Manager, and Event Manager.• Progressed to include responsibility for all online creative and content assets. Initiated seasonal and monthly site creative campaigns. Set-up photo-studio facility. Re-organised creative teams, initiated content and social media functions.• Developed strategy and implementation for homepages, gateways, product pages, email and content, resulting 30+% growth year-on-year since 2011. This 40-strong department also provides photography, stylist support, and social media support across both store and online environments.• In addition the Creative director role oversees both Press and Marketing departments adding both the Head of Press and Marketing Director as direct reports.

Paris, Fr

• Global Director for visual delivery across all Louis Vuitton stores worldwide. Worked alongside Director of Merchandising reporting to Executive Retail Director.• Oversaw both Creative and operational functions leading head office and region teams whose responsibilities included delivery and monitoring of store merchandising planning and guidelines.• Developed the teams to evolve the creative output within a heavily centralized organization. Strengthened and rationalised the design and implementation of global window display concepts, local event concepts, flagship store exhibitions and projects and showroom design with significant budget provision and control.• Led the creation and production of a diverse range of store props and selling tools across all retail departments for new launches within multi-million Euro budgets.• Successfully implemented and delivered monthly merchandise standards and guidelines for policing across six distinct region districts.• Head office and directly responsible regional teams total four direct reports – Display Manager, Merchandising Manger, Window Design Manager and Selling Support Manager. The Head of Display and Head of Merchandising for each of the six regions reportedly directly into the Paris based creative function. • Worked directly with LV Architecture teams for both new store and retrofit layouts. The department team led and co-ordinated all new store openings providing central and region level merchandising support teams. • Extensively travelled role involving annual seminar production and content for presentation to global store network.

London, Gb

London, Gb

London, Gb